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mlehto wrote:I own the misono hankotsu and I would NEVER use a steel or rod to bring back the edge, the geometry does not lend itself to steeling. I only ever strop this knife to maintain an edge. I prefer the edge off of a suehiro rika than an 8k but that's just me, it takes a nice edge off of my gesshin 8k so personal preference comes into play.

Ah! I'm glad to have found someone with personal experience with this knife . So stropping to maintain the edge, and you would rather have the suehiro rika (which is 5k?) over an 8k? Is this because this knife won't benefit from an 8k? Is there a way i can contact you through email or phone to talk more about this knifes correct edge? Thanks!

Lunatic

Post subject: Re: Gathering my supplies - Beginner***

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 3:44 am

Joined: Thu Jan 02, 2014 6:00 amPosts: 678

zeroartgfx wrote:

mlehto wrote:I own the misono hankotsu and I would NEVER use a steel or rod to bring back the edge, the geometry does not lend itself to steeling. I only ever strop this knife to maintain an edge. I prefer the edge off of a suehiro rika than an 8k but that's just me, it takes a nice edge off of my gesshin 8k so personal preference comes into play.

Ah! I'm glad to have found someone with personal experience with this knife . So stropping to maintain the edge, and you would rather have the suehiro rika (which is 5k?) over an 8k? Is this because this knife won't benefit from an 8k? Is there a way i can contact you through email or phone to talk more about this knifes correct edge? Thanks!

I can give a little insight to this. Although I don't own that particular knife I have sharpened and maintained a very similar steel.

For maintaining a working edge 5k is a good number, sure you can take it up to 8k but the time to restore the edge will be a lot longer and usually you want something quick and painless to restore your edge.

Stropping is more gentle of a process than honing. In my progression I like to only strop after 4K, this leaves a toothy edge for food penetration such as tomato skin and pepper skin but the polish and refinement leave me with a very nice cut.

ken123

Post subject: Re: Gathering my supplies - Beginner***

Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:38 am

Forum Moderator

Joined: Mon Apr 23, 2012 4:45 amPosts: 1673

The hankotsu is really a knife for dissecting beef / lamb and other land animals - even chicken. The back is flat (not concave) and the front can have either a convex edge or a short flat grind - I prefer a convex grind for this knife.

For taking apart whole fish, consider a traditional deba as an ideal choice.

"Id prefer to sharpen often to keep a sharp edge, than have to work with a semi sharp knife. " Exactly the way to think about it

So for both the hankotsu and the deba, an extremely refined edge is not required. The hankotsu edge should be robust and not too acute because it is used for chopping and shoving into joints. A 5k edge is fine for this. The deba can be a bit more refined especially past the heel area since the tip is used for fileting and the heel for chopping.

For your hankotsu, consider the Meara [natural] stone as an optimal edge and touchup stone. It is a fairly hard stone. Since the hankotsu has a fairly obtuse edge, it will be more easy to gouge the stone - so a harder stone is best. On the deba, a bit more refinement with a Yaginoshima Asagi is a nice choice. Both stones are easy to use natural stones and work together well.

I know going 'natural' early on is a bit unusual, but given that you have and will probably get carbon steel blades, these will be good choices.

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